The Course of Life
by Nerdygurlk13
Summary: "Startling and addictive...An epic story of love, family, and loyalty."-USA TODAY A whole new perspective on the original novel we all know and love, "The Course of Life" is a story that takes place both during the events of the novel, and continues on its own path. Based on an awesome dream I once had, I hope you all enjoy reading it.
1. Beginnings

**Hey guise! Okay I'm new to this website, (well the writing part anyways) and I had this idea of making a story out of this awesome dream I had once after reading my favorite book, The Host. (Which you probably guessed already because you're reading this right now) So anyways it takes place both during the events in the novel, and afterwards. There are also characters that are completely my own, just to get rid of any confusion. Hope you enjoy! Oh and another thing, please don't forget to review and tell me if you like the story! It helps with quicker updates!**  
_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Host. No copyright infringement intended.**_

* * *

I run my fingers along the soft, ever-so-present red and black blanket from my childhood. It's sad I say that like I'm not still a child. I sneer in spite of myself. No one's a child anymore. Not even the children of this world. But brushing this beautiful blanket brings the memories flooding back. The memories of a much happier time. A time that seemed so long ago, but I knew that it wasn't.

I sigh. I know I don't have time for this internal reunion. I grab my duffel bag and stuff some random stuff in it from my drawers, surprised the parasites even kept any of it. _Probably saving it for when I return, I scoffed. _But it wouldn't be me returning I knew. It would be an alien invading my body, erasing me forever. I also knew that Ian and Kyle would never let that happen. Neither would I for that matter. I give one last mournful look at my old room, and turn for the door.

But that's when I heard it. There were sirens blaring, and relatively close I could tell. I was prepared to bolt down the stairs and get to Ian and Kyle, but then I remembered. Ian told me not to come downstairs until I got some kind of signal; either a signal of danger or time to leave I didn't know. But he said I'd know it when I heard it. Then why wasn't there a signal? The sirens were obviously Seekers. What could those two be doing?

I decided not to panic, but instead quietly make my way to my parents' room. Well what used to be their room. My parents were gone, and I knew it. I went into the closet, careful not to move stuff too much, and shifted the floorboard that even the parasites would have overlooked. I stuck my hand under and to the left and pulled out my dad's old revolver. _Just for precautions, I thought._

"Ki-Kik! BOOM!" I swirled around as I heard the familiar sound of my dad's shotgun. Ian must've got it from the shed.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three shots from Kyle's handgun. It wasn't a signal. They were shooting at someone. I replaced the floorboard and was about the leave the room when I heard a calmer, more musical noise. I stopped and listened to make sure I heard right. It repeated three more times. _The wind chimes. They're shaking the door. That must be the—_my thoughts were cut off by a series of gunshots.

"Ah! Son of a bitch!" Kyle yelped in pain.

"Kyle!" There were more gunshots. Then there was a commotion downstairs. It sounded like someone being dragged.

"Kierra! It's the Seekers! You've gotta get somewhere safe!" Ian's voice was desperate. Still the dragging went all the way to the back of the house. And I, usually being able to resort to quick thought and action, stood there frozen. What the hell was I supposed to do? How were we gonna get out of this? I knew we shouldn't have come back._ Get a hold of yourself! Think girl, think!_

When I was actually able to move, I sprinted down the hall and turned to the left, instinctively holding the gun at ready. I was just about to skip down the stairs when I stopped dead in my tracks. At the foot of the stairs stood a woman with medium toned skin, dark green eyes, and chest length soft-black hair. An immediate sob was caught in my throat. I suppressed the urge to let it out. I knew that if I did, it would take the form of a one syllable word that could not be taken back.

_Mom._

But this was not my mom. Even from here I could see the silver ring around both irises. I tore my eyes away from her as I processed what I already knew I would see coming back here. My eyes darted to her right hand in which she securely held a semi-automatic pistol. I raised my gun immediately with a grimace. That was my mom's favorite gun. I could tell by the way the centipede had softened her face that it knew who I was. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to fall for any tricks.

"Kierra?"

I winced. It may not be my mom, but it doesn't stop the fact that this was her voice. Saying my name. Bringing back that flood of memories from earlier. How dare this parasite use my mom's body, her voice? How dare it say my name as if it knows me?

"Don't you dare say my name." I spit back.

"Sweetheart, it's me. Don't you remember me? Surely it hasn't been that long?"

"Oh it's been that long. And I'm not your sweetheart, parasite." It winces at the insulting term, as if I hurt it's feelings. As if it thought I could be fooled.

"Oh, honey. I'm not one of them! You can trust me! And I can prove it."

"Oh yea? Try me." Okay. If it wants to play games, I'm down for a little fun. Even though this no time to be playing.

"Okay. But you've got to calm down sweetie. Keep calm and put the gun down." It walks up a few steps, getting closer to me. I point the gun at the center of its head, and it retreats.

"Don't try to handle me. I'm not one to be handled. And it won't end well for you." I've got to stall. Where did Ian go? He needs to come back. If I shoot this thing now, how will I know where to go? But if I don't others are surely on their way and I'll be captured.

"No, honey. I'm not trying to do that. It's me! Your loving mother! The one who used to sit up with you late at night when you couldn't sleep, and watch the Lion King. The one who healed all of your soccer wounds, and always encouraged you to keep playing. I even made you your favorite blanket that you always slept with. The one who knows you hate seafood and that bees creep you out. The one who knows how stubborn and sassy you can get. I know exactly how intelligent you are and how much love Science and sports. The one who started calling you Kier-bear. It's me sweetie, and I love you so much."

I wipe the tears from my eyes as all the emotions and memories fill me to the brim. But this alien just dug her own grave. I smile malevolently.

"That's where you screwed up. My mom didn't start calling me Kier-bear. That was Kyle. If you were her you'd know that." Her face fell, realizing the mistakes it just made. I don't need anymore time on this. I can see Ian in the mirror on the far away wall, silently making his way over here. I cock the gun.

"Wait!"

"No don't wait! Kierra do it now!"

I pause in shock. Did the alien just cut it's self off? It's hand shoots up and covers it mouth looking as if it was possessed. But the hand yanks itself away. Just then I hear more sirens blaring. More Seekers.

"Kier-bear! Don't hesitate! Shoot it! It's now or never!" _Mom?! No it can't be! But I'd recognize that tone anywhere!_

"Mom?!" I croak.

"Sweetheart, I love you. And I'm sorry. But do as I say!" Tears spill down my cheeks. My mom wasn't gone. She was here. Talking to me. Telling me to shoot her. How could I? She was alive! But I knew I had to. I could see her struggling for control. And the Seekers were coming.

"M-mom? Mommy I love you. Th-this is gonna hurt a little okay? I'm sorry." And I shot.

* * *

"Kierra? Kierra! Wake up! Kierra get up."

_"Mommy...I love... I love you. Sorry... so sorry." _I was mumbling. Caught between the dream and being shaken into reality. Or should I say nightmare? And the shaking. Someone was shaking me?

I open my eyes a slither and blink against the darkness. What time was it? Whoever it was better have a good reason for waking me up or they'll be sorry. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and wait for my them to make out the figure's features. A tall young man with bristly black hair and browned skin stood over me. He's lucky it's him waking me up.

I groan. "Ugh. What is it, Wes? What time is it?" He grins like an idiot.

"Whaat?" I ask wondering why he woke me up.

"Well, it's 5:37 am, and something interesting's going on. Come on get up!" He yell whispers at me.

I groan again and flop back down on my back. He then proceeds to jump on my mattress until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay fine! I'm up!" I get up and stretch the sleep out of my bones. For a nineteen year old, he can be such a child. But that's why he's my best friend; we understand each other.

"So what's so interesting that I'm up before the Sun?" I ask curiously.

"Well, I got up about ten minutes ago because I had to pee, when I saw some lights- flashlights no doubt- moving around the caves and I heard voices."

"So?"

"Soo, I hid in the darkness and got close enough to see what was going on. And there was Jeb, Ian, Trudy, Aaron and Brandt standing with four people I didn't recognize..." he trailed off knowing that I had caught on.

"Wait, so you mean there's four new humans?!"

"Ya-huh. And it looks like one of them's about your age."

"Really?!" I haven't been around anybody my age in a long, long time. There's really nothing but adults here, except for Isiah and Freedom who were cute, but not really old enough for me to have any real fun with. And Wes was awesome of course, we have a real bond and nothing can change that. But having another friend would be nice too. "What the hell are we still doing here?" I scream whispered, and he just chuckled as we ran off.


	2. Meetings

**Hey guise! Me again. Just wanted to say I hope you all liked the first chapter! If it's not too much I ask I'd like you guys to review if you have the time. It establishes communication between the author and readers, and it'll sure help a lot! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Before we could get any further than the corridor where our rooms were, I noticed faint tinges of light coming from the tunnel that led to the octopus-like passageways.

"Shh." I whispered to Wes with my finger to my lips and then pointed. We crouched in the darkest parts of the tunnel trying our hardest not to be seen. Luckily the moon had already set so there was no extra light. I could see Wes straining to hear the voices approaching. So I did the same.

"… can't give a proper tour right now, considering the time. But this is mostly the sleeping quarters and some storage." That was Jeb speaking. You could tell by his distinctively gruff voice.

"Well Jebediah, you certainly had a lot of time on your hands. Must've taken you ages to fix up something of this caliber." Me and Wes exchanged weird looks, trying to hold our laughs in. Jebediah? Really?

"Well that certainly means a lot coming from you, Magnolia." He retorted oozing with sarcasm. The way these two talked, you would think they knew each other. That's when a much younger voice spoke up.

"Well I think it's really cool Uncle Jeb. It's like you have your own bat cave, and you're saving the human race!" The adults just chuckled at the younger boy's comment. Uncle Jeb? So they are related, huh. Small world.

"Thanks, kid." Jeb turned to the boy with his flash light, and ruffled his hair. Then I could see him in profile. He looks like he could be about an inch or so taller than me, sun-tanned skin, with long brown hair. _Not bad._I could also see the others as they started to shift around with the flashlights in their hands.

There were two women, one just as old as Jeb, who I'm guessing is the Magnolia he referred to. The other was much younger, with strangely similar features. Her daughter I presumed. Then there was the cheery boy with the Batman comment, and an older guy he was standing really close to. He had hard features and looked like he could hold his own. But there was also a strange softness in his eyes that seems out of place. I decided to overlook it. It's not even 6 am, and I'm just going by flashlight. Maybe I'm seeing things.

I was so caught up analyzing them that I was oblivious to the fact that they were getting closer. We didn't want to get caught snooping, so we turned to run back. That is, until Wes's foot kicked a pebble way down the dark tunnel. And I thought gunshots were loud.

"Nice going Wes!" I said softly and punched him.

"What was that?" It was a paranoid question. The older man had finally spoken.

"Oh probably just some nosy folk tryna get a look at ya. And they might as well show themselves now that they've been heard." Jeb voice was thick with amusement. Wes just looked at me. There's reason no reason to be sneaking around now. We've been caught.

"Great job, Wes." I say at normal volume. He pushed me playfully as we got stood up. I giggle.

"Not my fault. That rock should not have been there." He says as we walk into the light.

"Well, might as well introduce ya. You've been working this hard to creep around in the darkness."

"Sorry Jeb. We were just curious, that's all." I say as he points the flashlight at me.

" 'S cool, kid. Pretty exciting getting newcomers. Well since you're here, everyone, this is Kierra. Kierra, this is Magnolia, Sharon, Jamie, and Jared." I give them all my friendliest smile.

"And this," he turns the flashlight to Wes, "is Wes. Our two communal trouble makers, if you will. You'll see soon enough just how much trouble they can cause." I see Jeb wink at me and just chuckles at mine and Wes's halfhearted "Offensive taken!" and "I resent that!" 's. I then notice that the boy, Jamie, was smiling at me. I smile back and nod at him.

"Now, if you will excuse us, I have to find a place for our new community members to sleep. You two should get back to bed too, since the Sun ain't even awake yet." We nod and turn away.

"Nice to meet you everyone!" I yell over my shoulder as we run off again.

* * *

As always when Wes and I don't really want to go to sleep or lay down, we go to one of our rooms and just hang out. It wasn't uncommon for us to be up this early or late either. We could stay up for hours just talking, hanging out, or even doing nothing at all. Even in silence we could tell what the other was feeling. We aren't related at all, but honestly, blood couldn't make us any closer. I was just as close to him as I was to my actual brothers, Ian and Kyle. Maybe even closer. It's a long story, one that I don't even feel like going into right now. Especially after the nightmare I had today. The nightmare of one of my darkest memories.

So anyways we're running to my room right now, laughing at how that all just went down. I race into my room, barely stopping enough to turn. Then i flop down on my mattress. Wes just takes a seat on the floor and leans against the wall. As we settle, I notice that all traces of mirth leaving his face. I sit up and wait for him to say something.

"You're having nightmares again." Wow. Way to get straight to the point. I was hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Wes," I start, but he cuts me off.

"Don't try to deny it, I heard you mumbling when I was trying to wake you up. And you were all sweaty. Was it the same dream?"

"Wes, don't worry about me. I've been telling you that since the day we met. And I thought by now you'd realize I don't need to be worried about."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Drop it, Wes."

"Only if you answer my question." Ugh. He relentless when it comes to this subject.

"Yes. Now can we leave it alone? Thank you." I say and lay back down. He was silent for a few minutes.

"I think you should talk to someone about this. You know every time this starts again you-" I raise my eyebrow and he changes the next words. "You should consider going to see Doc."

"Doc is not a fucking psychiatrist! And I don't need to talk to anyone! I am perfectly fine, and if you don't believe me you can leave." I point towards the door. Without anyway of seeing it, I can tell how face probably looks right now. My blue eyes instead of looking cool and inviting, have the look of intense blue flames, my face hard and molded with anger. The vein in my neck pulsing faster and faster. I hate yelling at Wes. I always feel horrible afterwards. But he was seriously pissing me of. As he does every time he brings this up.

"Look, you know I'm just trying to help. But if it means that much to you, I won't mention it again." _Yea, like you said you would the last hundred times, _I thought knowing this wouldn't be the last time I heard this.

"Thank you." I say with mock joy. We spent the rest of the morning just talking about nothing, as if nothing happened.


	3. Familiarizing

**Okay guise, here's Chapter 3! Soooo sorry I haven't updated in awhile, which is a bummer because this is still the very beginning, but I've been busy with school work so I haven't been able to complete any chapters, but I did start writing some documents and I'm going through the process of turning them into chapters!**

* * *

"Hey guys!" I shout hopping in between Ian and Wes.

"So what's for breakfast?" I leaned over and peered into Ian's bowl.

"Well, if you don't move that soggy head of yours, it's gonna be your hair." He mushed me away. I had just returned from taking a bath, and my hair was dripping wet. I shake my hair like a dog by his food.

"Hey, hey! Down dog!" He chuckled fending me off with one arm and eating with the other.

"Hey Wes, what's with the googly eyes? You fantasizing about Lily in there?" I jump on him and ruffle his already messy hair, which brings him out of his daze. He hops off the bench bringing me to the floor with him. I still manage to land on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

"Get off me you mutt!" he yells and flips me over while laughing, proceeding to sit on my stomach. Okay I'll give him this one.

"Okay, okay! You win! Get off my stomach!" He stands up laughing and sits back on the bench, leaving me on the floor.

"Isn't it a little too early for you two to be going at it?" I finally stand up, looking towards the older lady with black and gray hair.

"Come on Trudy. It's only, " I pause grabbing Wes's hand and looking at his watch. "9:28! Be lucky we're not yapping at each other's throats by now." I chuckle and grab a bowl. I start to fill it with the distasteful onion soup, and grab a couple of pieces of jicama. I hate onions with a passion, but hey, what are you gonna do? We're living in a cavern society, in hiding from the invasion of the body snatchers. Not really a time to be picky. Plus, my insatiable appetite won't allow me to do otherwise. Just a little something I picked up growing up with a two bottomless pits. Just as I go to sit down, I notice from the corner of my eye, Jeb, walking in with that new kid. _God, I forgot his name already. Think, think. Jeffrey? Nah he doesn't look like a Jeffrey. Something with an 'e' at the end. Or possibly a 'y'. Eh, whatever. Jeb's probably gonna say it anyways._ I nudge Wes and he looks in the direction I'm pointing. It wasn't until then I also noticed the man standing behind him. _Man, I must be out of it._

"Listen up everybody! Shut yer traps I got an announcement." The sound in the noisy kitchen died down as everyone turned towards Jeb and the newcomers, curiosity bright in their eyes.

"We've got some new additions to our little community here. This here is Jared," he pointed to the man's tired face, "and my nephew, Jamie." _Oh, Jamie! I had something right at least._

"They got here just a few hours ago and are pretty worn out, so don't go pesterin' em' with questions ya hear?" The response was a bunch of half-hearted agreements. I decided to invite them over to sit with us so they don't have to look awkwardly for seats. It's not like no one would offer them a seat, but be surrounded by strangers isn't always so welcoming. And besides, we'd already met.

"Hey Jamie! Jared! Come sit with us." I say motioning to the bench across from me, Ian, and Wes. Jamie smiled at me sheepishly, and Jared even gave me a small smile. They made their way through the kitchen to our "table" and sat down.

"Jamie, Jared this is Kierra, and -"

"Wes." Jamie answered for him. Ian just looked back and forth at us, confused.

"We kinda already met." I say.

"What? They just got here a few hours ago. What were you doing up?" he says turning to me, and my eyes widen.

"Wes woke me up!" I immediately point the finger at him. Literally. He starts choking on his onion soup.

"What?" he croaks in between coughs. "That is not fair."

"Well you did!"

"I didn't see you protesting when you went running off into the darkness to stalk them!"

"And you were right beside me, weren't you?"

"Yea but I don't have two giant killer brothers to ground me!" Ian playfully punches him on the arm, while Jamie just giggles at our banter. I heard a couple of low chuckles from Jared too.

"Calm down, you two. I already know that you went looking for them. I caught Wes being 'not so sneaky' while he was supposed to be hiding in the darkness listening to us when we first came in. Then when we left Jeb I went to both of your rooms and you were gone." For the second time in less than a 12 hours I punched him for getting caught.

"See? This is why I'm the stealthy one!" He just sticks his tongue out at me. Then I just remember that no one offered them breakfast.

"Oh, sorry guys. Did you want any breakfast? You've got to be hungry after roaming around that hell-hole out there."

"Yea I'm starving! What do you guys have to eat?"

"Well, right now all really have is onion soup, jicama roots and bread. Doesn't really sound appetizing I know, but it's actually not bad when you try it."

"No it's cool. I'd honestly eat _anything_ right now. Jared you hungry?" We both look towards him expectantly.

"Yea, I could eat." He said. I just smiled and hopped down to go get them some food.

* * *

That shower I took this morning was completely useless and not worth it, because here I am sweating my ass off, turning soil in the northeast field. Well 'turning' isn't exactly the right word for what I'm doing. Clobbering sounds much more fitting. _U__gh, _I think. _It's happening. _First comes the dreams, then the unbearable mood swings. The worst part is, I end up being completely unfair to everyone around me, especially Wes. And I'm talking beyond PMSing. Just legit bitchiness.

Just as I grudgingly accepted my current state of mind, Wes came over and tossed me a bottle of water.

"Thanks." I gave him the best smile I could, and gulped down some water. I could see it in his eyes that he knew something was up, but he didn't acknowledge it. He just begun working next to me. After last night he probably thought it'd be best if he waited until I came to him. _He's finally catching on. I don't need help. I can handle myself. I have been for years. _

"So what do you think of that new kid?" This threw me completely off guard. I was expecting him to question me about how I felt and the dreams. But this, was completely new territory. And there was something about the nonchalant way he asked it.

"Um, he seems okay. Haven't really had time to figure him out yet. Why?" I asked this last part skeptically.

"No reason." He shrugged. I just raised my eyebrow at him, which I was sure he could see through his peripheral vision. He acted like he didn't, though.

"Soooo. What do you think of him, appearance wise?" That's when I chuckled.

"Ooooh, so that's where you're going with this?"

"What do you mean?" He widened is eyes in shock, trying to look all innocent.

"I don't know, what do _you_ mean?" I cocked my head to the side, and he just starts laughing.

"I just wanted to know what you think of him, Kierra." _Uh-huh. Yea sure you did._

"Uh-huh. I'm sure that's all you meant."

"I swear on my diet of onions, roots and bread, that is all I meant. But, just by any chance, what would you have answered?" _Hmm, honestly I don't know. I guess he's kind of cute. _

"Uh, I guess he's...attractive? God Wes, stop being a creep. Why do you want to know anyway?"

"Just curious." That's when we both snapped our heads in the direction of the crashing and clattering noises at the other end of the field. Standing with a bunch of scattered tools at his feet, were Jeb, who was chuckling, and Jamie, who looked wildly embarrassed.

"Sorry Uncle Jeb." He said, scrambling to pick up the tools.

" 'S okay, kid. A little clumsiness won't kill ya. Just get yer tool and follow me." Jamie did as he said and followed suit, walking straight towards none other than myself, and Wes. _Should have seen that one coming, Kierra. _

"Hey Jeb!" Wes and I greeted him cheerfully, already knowing what would come next.

"Hey kid. I was wonderin', since you guys seem to have the most energy and enthusiasm of all," he said that part thick with amusement, " and since you two are the most familiar with him, if you could make some use of your time and show my nephew here around for the rest of the day? I'd do it myself, but being the head of a society sure is a lot of work." _Yep, there it is. _Jamie just gave us an apologetic and shy smile, probably not wanting to seem like a burden. I smiled warmly at him, hopefully helping him relax.

"Sure. I mean, we've got nothing else to do, so why not?" That wasn't entirely true. Me and Wes were gonna go play soccer for awhile after working in the field, but we could always put those plans on hold.

"Great! Don't go gettin' into any trouble, ya hear? Later kids!" And with that he sauntered off to who knows where, of course, leaving the three of us to stand there awkwardly avoiding eye contact. Not knowing how to continue, me and Wes just looked at each other and shrugged, while Jamie idly kicked at the purplish cavern dust. I quickly gave him a once-over, taking in his severe lack of muscle development. I'm not saying Wes or I are brolic or anything, but we were much more used to this hard labor.

"Uh, I guess you could work on crushing the dirt clods into soil after me and Wes break it up."

"Okay." He just nodded in agreement and stood a few feet behind us.

"Well that wasn't awkward at all." Wes whispered and I snickered.

"Just get back to work you big goof." He gives me and retarded look and then continues to pulverize the dirt. "Where do you think we should start?" I ask.

"Start what?" I hit my palm against my forehead.

"God, Wes, you're so spacey sometimes! Where should start showing Jamie around? You know, the task we just accepted not three minutes ago?"

"Ohhhh. Uh, I don't know, the game room? We were gonna go there anyway, so why not? Maybe we could see if the kid's any good at soccer." I nodded in approval.

"Yea! Great idea Wes! That'll be an awesome way to make him feel more relaxed and at home." I turned to face Jamie.

"Hey Jamie!" He jerked his head up in shock. "Do you like soccer?" He tilted his head in mild confusion, then said,

"Um, yeah I guess. I'm really not that good of a player though."

"Doesn't matter if you're good or not, we just wanted to know if you liked it." Wes interjected.

"Yeah, as long as you like the game we don't care how you play." Wes scoffed at my statement.

"That's rich coming from an O'Shea. Trust me Jamie, you DO NOT want to play against any of the O'Sheas. It's enough disappointment for a lifetime." He chuckles and swinging his pick-ax, so I punch him in is side.

"Shut up Wes. He's exaggerating, don't listen to him. But we were just gonna kick the ball around after work anyway, so we'll show you the game room first okay?" His face lights up.

"Okay! Sounds like fun." Now it was turn to light. I was a little skeptical at how he would respond since he seems so shy. But then again, I thought Wes was shy too.

"What's this I hear about disappointment and soccer?" Ian called, jogging up to us.

"I was just telling Jamie here how your family cheats at soccer." Wes says pointedly. Ian just chuckles.

"You're not still upset about the last time, are you Wes? You gotta let that go."

"Not as long as live." Me and Ian just hold in our laughter.

"Yeah, well, I can assure you we don't cheat. We're just naturals." He looks toward Jamie and takes a sip of his water.

"Yea. About as natural as those biceps and abs." Wes murmurs.

"What was that?"

"Uh, I was just admiring your wonderful know, they just look so...strong?" We all just looked at him. "I'll just be over there, wallowing in my awkwardness."

"Yea you do that." I say. Turning to Ian, "Will you come play with us after work? That way we'll have enough people for a two-on-two game." He puts his arm my shoulder.

"Sure, why not? It'll be fun to watch Wes cry." I beam up at him. Then I turn back to Jamie.

"This is gonna be fun, trust me." And at that, he gives me the least shy smile since he got here.


	4. Playing

**Things start to get more interesting here, and I'm working on making the chapters longer. Here's Chapter 4! (Another A/N at the end)**

* * *

In an unexpected turn, it ended up being Ian and Wes on one team, and Jamie and I on the other. I knew that there was no way Wes was going to let me and Ian on the same team of course, but I at least thought he'd want to be on my team, as usual when we played two on two. But the first thing he did once we entered the game room was call dibs on Ian, which came as a shock to us all.

A few people came to watch us play and join in on the fun, considering many of them had nothing better to do. Among the few I actually noticed with a glance were Trudy, her husband Geoffrey, their friend Heath, Lucina and her two sons, Isiah and Freedom, Lily, Heidi and Brandt.

There were a bunch of others, but I hadn't bothered to look again, now that I was stretching and getting into the zone. Soccer had always been my greatest sport, and that was never going to change. Even if it was just a game for fun. We were all stretching, while Brandt set up the goals, which were really just four lamps set up at either end of the cave.

I bent one knee and stuck the other leg out straight to my side, staring straight ahead, almost oblivious to the world around me. Then I heard Jamie, Wes and Ian talking.

"Is she okay? I tried talking to her, but she just stared right past me." Jamie said, clearly worried. Ian and Wes just started laughing.

"I felt the same thing when I first saw her like this." Wes said between chuckles.

"Don't worry about her. In fact, you should be happy. This only means she's 'getting into the zone', and everyone needs to be prepared for it. Even you." Ian told him. "Well, actually just you two. I'm perfectly prepared for this."

"Yeah, that's what you think." They all turn to me, not knowing I was listening.

"Oh, no I'm pretty sure I know." _And so it begins._

"And so it begins." Wes says, ironically. Then he leans toward Jamie. "This is the inevitable sibling rivalry we have every time we play..well any sport actually. Just give it a few minutes."

"I'm just saying, I've known you all your life. Your soccer skills are getting kinda predictable at this point."

"Oh really? Says the guy who's more tired than the clothes he's wearing. I can anticipate your every move."

"Ha! I've been playing soccer way before you were even born! Me and Kyle taught you everything you know!"

"Which is why it's gonna be so easy for me to whoop your sorry a-"

"Why don't you try finishing that sentence?"

"You know, I'm hearing a whole lot of talk and not seeing any action." Brandt called from across the cave.

"Calm your biceps Brandt, we're ready!" I yelled back at him.

Our little crowd erupted in cheers, and that's when I knew it was time for our game to start. I took a deep breath and turned back to the guys. I locked eyes with Ian, who smirked at me.

"Good luck Wes." I gave him an evil look and we both walked towards separate ends of the cave.

"You okay Jamie?" He looked worried.

"Yeah, I um, just don't want to disappoint anybody." He said looking down.

"You've got to stop that. Motivation is the key, and confidence is the key to motivation. Just have fun." He nodded and took a deep breath. _This kid better not suck, _I say to myself. Brandt had the whistle around around his neck, ready to go. He walked to the middle of the cave and motioned for us to come over.

"Showtime." I say to Jamie as we walk towards Brandt. I stopped directly in front of Ian and looked him in the eyes.

"Okay, I'm guessing you all know the rules by now- there aren't any. Except for one, no cheating. As for you two-" he looked towards me and Ian, "- I want nice, clean fight. No blood, bruises, or the wrath of God this time. Got it?"

"Got it." We both say at the same time.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road. Shake hands." I shake Wes' hand while Jamie shakes Ian's hand, and then we switch. Ian and I both grabbed on to each other's forearms and shook them once, the way our father taught us to.

"Good luck." I whisper. "You're gonna need it." He just smiles.

Both teams move about ten feet away from Brandt in both directions. I bend my knees with my right foot slightly in front of my left, in a running position. Brandt looks into each of our eyes, places the ball on the ground, and blows the whistle.

I break out of my running position and charge toward the ball, not wasting any time, considering both Ian and Wes' legs were longer than mine. Even still, Ian and I both reach the ball at the same time.

I had the advantage of being faster than him, though, and kicked the ball right under feet, then turned and ran around his left side.

Like clockwork, he was tailing my right, and Wes was moving into goalie position, just in case. That's the way we play two on two; no goalies, just head to head defending our own. it makes the game that much more fun.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed how close Ian was and decided to go for a wide shot without stopping. Dribbling the ball between my feet, I swung my right foot back and kicked the ball with so much force it flew right by Wes' head, smacked the wall between the lamps, and came rolling back towards me. I turned toward Ian and smirked as the crowd cheered.

"Not wasting time I see." He said.

"Nope." I said with a smile as we walked back to the center for kickoff.

"Okay, you asked for it." He warned.

I laughed. "Don't hold back."

"Not in my nature." Now he was smiling. _I__ like the sound of that,_ I said to myself.

* * *

"FWEEEEEEE!" Brandt blew the whistle. "Half time!"

I didn't even have to ask Lily what the score was. I'd kept track the whole game, and the score was _20:26. _And much to my dismay, we weren't on the winning team.

I doubled over with my hands on my knees, watching the sweat drip from my face. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jamie sink to the floor, and Wes collapse right where he stood. Even Ian had to sit down for awhile.

I slowly sat down, gathering myself. _You know, this is kind of your fault. _There goes that annoying inner voice.

_What exactly is my fault?_

_You provoked Ian, and now we're losing._

_Seriously? You're blaming me?! I didn't exactly hear you protesting._

_Hey, I know when I've got no chance of convincing you._

_You know we're the same person right?_

_Exactly why I know my limits._

_Shut up._

_You're talking to yourself here._

_Ughh, _I groan. I was so caught up in my inner conversation, I hadn't noticed Jamie come sit next to me. He just sat there expectantly. Like he was waiting for a response.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"Yea. I said I brought you some water." I looked down at the water bottle sitting right by my hand.

"Thanks." I say and gulp some water down.

"Wes was right. You guys are amazing." He said, clearly impressed.

"You're not so bad yourself. If I recall correctly, you scored 9 out of 20 out there." He looked at me, slightly shocked.

"You kept track of all that? I could barely tell when we scored." He chuckled.

"Eh, it's a gift. But, don't worry. You'll get used to being down here. And it really helps with your eyesight when you're out there. Even though most people don't realize it."

"You mean like raiding?" I nod my head, drinking more of my water. "Have you ever been on a raid?"

"Yea, tons of times. A lot of these adults protested for a long time- including Ian and Kyle- but after they saw how great I was on my first raid, they let me go a lot more. Well that and I tend to get a little stir crazy being cooped up down here for too long."

"Seriously? That's awesome! Do you think they'd let me go? Jared and Mel never used to..." He trailed off and stared. Not at anything in particular, just sort of, distant. I put my hand on top of his.

"Hey, are you okay?" I saw tears glistening in his eyes. "Jamie?"

"H-huh?" He blinked a couple of times to get hold back the tears.

"You okay?" I asked again, concerned.

"Uh, yea. Daydreaming." Okay, so adding 'horrible liar' to my mental list of things I've learned about him is a must. I don't usually let people off so easily when I know they're lying, but I figured I can let this one go. Besides, whatever upset him it seems like he didn't want to talk about, and I know all too well what that feels like. Oh, and there's also the fact that we just met. Even so, my never ending curiosity isn't going to let me give up on it completely.

"Four minutes until second-half guys!" I heard Trudy call.

"Okay!" I yelled over my shoulder. I looked back at Jamie, who appeared to be in deep thought staring off into the distance again. I watched him for a minute or so, waiting to see if he'd come out of his trance on his own. When I decided he wouldn't, I tried calling his name again.

"Jamie?" I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes, but it had no effect. "Hey!" I said, clapping my hands in his face. This time, his head snapped toward me.

"Wha-" he was cut off by Trudy's voice.

"Half-time's almost over!" I pushed myself off the ground, but wobbled a little from a sudden rush of dizziness. Brushing it off, I looked down at Jamie.

"We should probably get back out there. You sure you're okay?" He stood up.

"Yea. I was just...thinking...about...things." He stretched out those last three words.

"Riiiight. You were almost convincing that time. Almost." I smirked at him, and he just smiled back as we walked to the center of the field.

"Seriously, I'm fine."

"Okay, whatever you say. Now how about we crush those two into the dirt they're standing on?" I said gesturing to Ian and Wes. Jamie grinned.

"Sounds like a plan." We got into our positions and waited for Brandt.

"FWEEEEE!" He blew whistle, and just as before, we all took off.

* * *

"Okay Jamie, we're only down by one, and we barely made it there. So now its time to shake it up a little bit, do something unexpected." Sweat was dripping down my face little by little.

"So what do you have mind?" We were in time out, trying to figure out what do do next. Little did anyone know, I had a plan.

"Okay, so starting off, you're going to have the ball at the end of the court by their goal, and I'm gonna be on the opposite side. You're gonna dribble the ball down the court at full speed while I'm coming toward you and you're going to pass it to me. This way, we'll be switching places and I'll be free to kick the ball all the way across the court to you and -this may not make any sense- but you're going to kick it directly at Ian. Are you with me so far?"

"Wait, what's the point of doing all of that? And how do you know Ian will be the one by the goal?"

"Because we've coming at them full force trying to win the game back, so Ian is definitely going to be tied to his goal. And the point of it is to shake them up, confuse them. Ian's definitely going to stop the ball from reaching their goal, but pass it to Wes. So if this is going to work out I need you to stay on Wes like super-glue, but don't make it obvious. Once the ball gets passed to Wes, you intercept it and kick it straight to me with everything you got. Got it?" He just looked at me incredulously.

"Again, I don't see the point of this. How do you know how it's going to work out?" I huffed impatiently at his questioned.

"Because I know Ian. For this to work you're just going to have to trust me, okay? Just get the ball to me that last time and I'll handle everything from there." He sighed, nodding. We walked to center, then signaled Brandt that we were ready. He blows the and I immediately take off towards our goal, Wes right in front me, while Jamie takes off in the opposite direction with Ian on his heels.

Jamie being just a split second faster in the moment, swerved around him as we made our way toward each other. Ian stood, frozen with confusion. Jamie passed the ball to me, and continued running. Ian broke out of his daze just quick enough to charge me, but not quick enough to stop me from kicking it to Jamie.

_Yes! It's working!_ I could barely contain my excitement. I saw Jamie kick the ball straight for Ian, and then everything around me went dark and blurry. I closed my eyes to get my vision back to normal, but when I opened them, everything had changed.

For starters, I was outside. _How the-_ my thought was cut off when I really started to _see_ what was going on.

Not ten feet away, I was seeing something completely unbelievable. About twenty feet away, there stood Brandt, Wes, and... _me? _How was this possible? How can I see myself, _when I'm standing right here? _Not to mention the fact that I was just in the game room, playing soccer?

_What the hell is happening?_, I practically shout in my thoughts.

I try to focus on my surroundings, and find out what is going on in front of me. Well, they, or should I say 'we', were obviously on patrol outside the caves. We were all holding guns, and if I looked closely enough around, I could see others outside too. I could just make out Jeb, Aaron, and Lily not too far away. Everyone had a weapon, but why the need for such security?

"Yea, just don't drop your gun again, Wes." Brandt chuckled.

"I already told you, it was an accident! I tripped!" That just made Brandt and the other me laugh even harder.

"Over what, the dirt and dust? There aren't even any pebbles or other tiny rocks around, so how did you trip?" The other me laughed.

"I-you guys suck, you know that?" Wes said, suppressing his own laughter.

"And you," He said pointing to the other me, "you look like you've been sneaking extra food out of storage." He poked me in the stomach. At that, something briefly flickered across my face that even I couldn't read. Then I gasped in mock surprise.

"Me? Steal food? I would never!" Both Wes and Brandt laughed my false innocuous tone.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go meet up with Andy and the others to tell 'em that this way is clear okay? You two stay out of trouble." Brandt said turning to walk away. He took three steps , then turned back.

"Oh and t-"

"POW!"

I never would've guessed what just happened. Brandt fell to the ground, hard, on his back.

"Brandt!" I heard both Wes and the other me yell. Everything was happening too fast, I could barely grasp what was happening. But there was thing I was sure of-Brandt had just been shot. I frantically searched the nearby mountain ranges for the shooter, and that's when a blurry black shape caught my eye. Even from here, I could see its eyes glistening, and it was closing in. Without thinking, I started screaming.

"Run! It's a Seeker!" No response. Not even a sparing glance my way.

_They can't see or hear me? Then why the hell am I here? Please tell me this isn't the part where I die!_ I couldn't control my own thoughts. My brain was rampaging and completely out of whack.

"Get down!" I tried again but to no avail. Just then, the other me turned saw the Seeker, but was pushed to the ground by Wes.

"Kierra, run!" He yelled, and then fired and ran in the direction of the Seeker.

"Wes!" The other me screamed, but soon grabbed back by a pair of hands. I fought to be released while others ran after Wes. That's when the scene started going in slow motion around me.

"POW!" There was another gunshot. This time, it Wes who fell to the ground. Only there was blood coming from the back of his head, and his body was lifeless. After that all sound was lost, but I could see the other me breaking free and screaming, the only word possible to make out being, 'Wes'.

Tears ran down my face effortlessly, as my vision went dark blurry again. Then, something hit me in the head and knocked me to the ground. I felt my lips form into all too familiar name.

"Wes." Then, the world turned black.

* * *

**Okay, so I've been kind of AWOL I know. I just wanted to say I'm so very sorry for not updating sooner but things have been crazy with my schoolwork and I really had to get back on track. Going to Brooklyn Tech isn't so easy, ya know. But I'm not here to give you excuses, I'm here to apologize. So yea, expected more frequent updates and a progressing story!**

**Oh, and what do you guys think is going as of right now with Kierra? I mean, seriously what was with that weird scene? Let me know what you guys think!**

**Until we meet again, later guise!**


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